Book Description

“We’re not exactly at the top of the food chain."

The Ministry of Streunberg, a secret cabal of the world's influential elite, has infiltrated the U.S. Government all the way to the White House. Their scheme for global supremacy entails blowing up a 737 airliner carrying an uncooperative genetic microbiologist. But they need the fruit of the doctor's research first—a small package that could unleash mass destruction across the globe.

Dissident agent Cleo Matts isn't about to let that happen.

But when Matts boards the ill-fated flight, he doesn't count on an ice storm disrupting air traffic across the Midwest. And he doesn't count on rescuing Julia McMichaels, a gorgeous Hollywood sweetheart running from an abusive husband. And he never imagined that the ancient alien watchers would choose this day to interfere in the squabbles of men.

From the back streets of New Orleans and the corridors of NASA to the super yacht of a gigolo Saudi prince and a showdown in a raging ice storm, the laughs, chases, and shoot-outs come fast and furious in this balls-to-the-wall espionage action thriller.

The Ministry of Streunberg, a secret cabal of the world's influential elite, has infiltrated the U.S. Government all the way to the White House. Their scheme for global supremacy entails blowing up a 737 airliner carrying an uncooperative genetic microbiologist. But they need the fruit of the doctor's research first—a small package that could unleash mass destruction across the globe.

Dissident agent Cleo Matts isn't about to let that happen.

But when Matts boards the ill-fated flight, he doesn't count on an ice storm disrupting air traffic across the Midwest. And he doesn't count on rescuing Julia McMichaels, a gorgeous Hollywood sweetheart running from an abusive husband. And he never imagined that the ancient alien watchers would choose this day to interfere in the squabbles of men.

From the back streets of New Orleans and the corridors of NASA to the super yacht of a gigolo Saudi prince and a showdown in a raging ice storm, the laughs, chases, and shoot-outs come fast and furious in this balls-to-the-wall espionage action thriller.

for a book with witty dialogue, intrigue, action, fun history facts, conspiracy theories, aliens and rogue government agents... Oh wait, I did get it! Apparently that is what Cleo Matts is all about and I'm all for it. Keep these kind of novels coming. They're a perfect blend of all the above, page-turner, must-read! First time I've wanted to say 'Thank you' to an author for writing a book!

Cleo's job was to protect the man in the seat in front of him. Simple enough. All he had to do was foil the attempt of the CIA to blow up the plane. Which turns out to be anything but simple. Aliens, CIA cleaners and assassins, and one of the most famous actresses in the nation seem to be conspiring to make his covert operation as complicated as possible.Government conspiracy at its best, Joe Crubaugh creates an all too possible world in Terminal Departure. A world where some of the most powerful governments on the planet are controlled by a secret international association made up of the world's elite. On top of that, alien watchers really do abduct people and the deaths of a couple of hundred innocent people are justified by the need to control the populace. With keep you on the edge of your seat action, this book will have even the most unbelieving readers turning the pages to see what happens next.Written with the spirit of Christopher Buckley over his shoulder, Joe Crubaugh knows how to spin a tale of political satire. The main characters are quirky but entertaining. The secondary characters are sometimes frightening but definitely interesting. All in all, this was a great read. I thank the author for providing me with a review copy and I give the book five stars.

This starts off as a science-fiction satire that reminds me of the old '60s TV series, "Get Smart" starring Don Adams. It's a hilarious story with funny characters and plots which include aliens. Aboard the commercial 737 aircraft is a famous female actress, a notable scientist, CIA assassins, and funny agent-incognito, Cleo Matts. There are lots of weird events while the airline is in the air, mostly unbelievable. But, later in the novel, it becomes more of a realistic CIA hunt for witnesses who have strangely avoided death aboard the crashed airline. It is a suspenseful story, one which I found I could not put down. So, if you are considering this action-packed novel, go ahead, board the plane and enjoy the read! You'll be laughing out loud at what comes out of the mouth of infamous agent Cleo Matts.

Crubaugh has written a page-turning gigglefest involving competing secret and pseudo-secret government agencies, germ warfare conspiracies and alien abduction. This is one of those indie books that overcomes the stigma of poor editing, amateurish prose, etc. It's quirky and laugh-out-loud funny as Crubaugh weaves his eclectic tale, with a political outlook in synch with the entertainment industry as a whole. Were the publishing industry not in such a crisis now, I can easily imagine this being published conventionally and placed beside the latest from Hiassen or Coben.

Cleo Matts is sometimes on the loopy side of eccentric, which makes him all the more appealing as a hero. Movie star Julia is unique for Hollywood in that she's pretty down-to-earth; but typical in that her Hollywood marriage is going down in flames when we meet her. Perhaps my favorite character was Stormi--a girl with a great attitude even when she's verbally tearing somebody a new hole. Airline pilot Dallas is the lucky guy who fate throws together with Stormi, and though complete with human weaknesses, he's still a guy you want to root for.

Terminal Departure is certainly entertaining. I would have liked just a bit more exposition about the CIA-vs.-Trapdoor conflict, and maybe how Roman knew about Cleo but not vice-versa. I felt a little off-balance, too, that the aliens play such a major role during the first act, but aside from some telepathic advice, go MIA for the rest of the novel.

Depending on your sense of humor, this book is well worth your time for the laughs alone.

Henry Brown is the author of the historical adventure-comedy Thus Spake the Bard, as well as the military thriller Hell and Gone. He is the columns editor at New Pulp Fiction, and does some blogging of his own at the Two-Fisted Blogger.

This book takes you on a wild 737 roller-coaster ride with the CIA, aliens, a movie star and a secret agent named Cleo Matts who works for a deep cover agency embedded within the CIA. Get ready for interplanetary action and lots of hilarious interdisplinary dialogue. I was reminded at times of the classic Hitchhiker's Ride to the Galaxy while reading Terminal Departure, with smaller doses of Get Smart. Cleo Matts is an eminently likable and capable spy, but can one man save the world? I liked this book and look forward to seeing what crazy scheme Cleo will have to unravel next.

More About the Author

Joe Crubaugh is the author of agent Cleo Matts thrillers and many intriguing articles posted on his blog at JoeCrubaugh.com.

When he's not writing about himself in the third person, Joe spends weekdays masquerading as a software consultant in the ship, plant, and offshore industry.

Joe was born in Tupelo, Mississippi and currently resides in Huntsville, Alabama with his wife, three children, and a couple of dogs. At this very instant, he's working on the next Cleo Matts novel and sliding around the kitchen floor in his socks.